When comparing iMessage vs StealthChat, the Slant community recommends iMessage for most people. In the question“What are the best messaging apps for iOS?”iMessage is ranked 5th while StealthChat is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose iMessage is:

Pros

Pro

Comes pre-installed

Pro

Secure end-to-end encryption

Pro

Cross-platform within Apple ecosystem

iMessage is available on iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac.

Pro

Free and unlimited messages over Wi-Fi and data

Messages clearly indicates whether messages are being sent over iMessage (blue) or SMS (green) where messaging rates apply. iMessages do not count as SMS messages with your carrier, instead they use a negligible amount of data to send over Wi-Fi and cellular data networks.

Pro

Clean UI

UI is minimalistic, and clear. And there is a plethora of stuff on the left of text box if you wanna use them.

Pro

Friends don't need to "sign up"

You can just message them using their existing phone number or Apple ID and they will get your message.

Pro

Supports voice messages

Short voice recordings/messages can be quickly sent, and messages can be easily dictated into written messages as well.

Pro

Seamlesss switching between SMS messages

Pro

Clear indicators for message delivery and receipt

The app indicates when messages have been sent, when they have been read, and when someone is typing.

Pro

Can send self-destructing messages

Messages can be set to self-destruct after a set time.

Pro

Offers 3 types of encryption

The app claims to be the only communication app that encrypts data in transit, on disk and on screen. Encryption in transit is used to make sure no-one can listen in on your conversations even if the traffic is going through their servers, encryption on disk is used to make sure that even if someone gets ahold of your phone and is capable of extracting your messages from it they won't be able to read them and screen encryption is essentially a lock screen that sets in after a set amount of time used to make prevent "shoulder surfing".

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Cons

Con

Not cross-platform

iMessage is not available on anything but Apple devices.

Con

Code is not verified

Con

Poor support

Con

Lacks group chat

Con

Closed source

No way to verify security practices.

Con

Many people have difficulty registering the app

Multiple people have reported not being able to receive the activation code required to register the app.

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